Please join the Philosophy Department for its first Religious Studies Panel of the spring 2017 semester, "Religion, Politics, Violence, and Society," on Monday, February 13, from 3:00 to 4:30 p.m. in Butler Library 210. Panelists will be Julian Cole, associate professor of philosophy, Thomas Snodgrass, lecturer of religious studies,and Muhammad Howard, sociology major.

This panel will examine such questions as, How can we know a person's values? Can religion justify violence? How are religion and politics related? and How are politics and morality related?

One or more of the following opportunities might be just right for you and your student(s). More information can be found on the Undergraduate Research website.

Early Undergraduate Research Opportunity (EURO) Program
EURO provides Buffalo State students with an early undergraduate research, scholarly, or creative experience by serving as an assistant. Recruited students support more advanced students (undergraduate and graduate) or a faculty member's research, scholarly, or creative activities. The program strives to broaden participation and support the college's efforts to engage early-career students and increase retention, especially of those who have demonstrated strong performance in their coursework at Buffalo State. Support for the student is limited to $1,000 (based on 100 hours at $10/hour) with an additional $200 per student available to support supplies for the student assistant's project. Faculty members from all academic programs are encouraged to apply.

Application deadline: Open until all available funding is allocated.

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Second-Year Undergraduate Research (SYUR) Program
SYUR provides students with opportunities to learn about the research process and conduct course-based research early in their academic experience. The program reflects the college's efforts to engage early-career students and increase retention. For the fall 2017 pilot round of this program, we anticipate supporting up to eight special sections of courses typically offered in the second year. Participating faculty members would receive a $1,000 stipend and a student assistant to help with the oversight of projects.

Application deadline: Open until all available funding is allocated.

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Small Grants - Spring Round
The Small Grants Program provides support for students to conduct a project exploring something within or outside their major. The funding can cover travel or supplies needed to carry out the project but is not intended for student salary or for students to present their research at a conference.

Application deadline: Wednesday, February 22

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Travel Awards
Undergraduate Travel Program awards support student presentations at a meeting, conference, juried exhibit, or other similar activity.

Application deadline: Open, with applications reviewed within two weeks

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SUNY Undergraduate Research Conference (SURC)
SUNY Fredonia will host the Western SUNY SURC (SURC West) on Saturday, April 22. Sessions include oral, performance, artistic displays, and posters. All academic disciplines are encouraged to apply and participate. The Buffalo State Undergraduate Research Office will support conference participation for SURC West. Please contact Jill Singer, director of undergraduate research, if you plan to have one or more of your students participate in SURC West. Detailed information about the SURC West conference can be found on the SUNY Fredonia website.

Application deadline: Friday, February 17

The Community Arts Academy (CAA) at Buffalo State College offers classes in the visual arts and music for teens, kids, and young children. The following offerings are now available:

• Music Enrichment classes (birth–grade 8), beginning Saturday, February 4
• Jazz Workshop (grades 6–12) starting Sunday, February 5
• Introduction to Digital Audio (grades 9–12), starting Tuesday, February 7

Course offering details can be found on the Music Department website. All registration is online. 

Discount
Buffalo Public Schools students registering to take Introduction to Digital Audio (grades 9-12) receive a 25 percent discount. An overview of CAA programming is available on the Arts and Humanities website. CAA offers classes for students from birth to grade 12 in music, creative writing, and digital and visual arts right here at Buffalo State.

The interim dean of the Graduate School, Kevin Miller, will host a meeting of all graduate faculty on Friday, February 24, at 3:00 p.m. in Butler Library 210. The meeting will focus on updates from the Graduate School and reviewing the draft of the strategic plan.

From the Diversity Program Coordinator
Please join us for a screening and discussion of the Academy Award–nominated documentary 13th, directed by Ava DuVernay, on Thursday, February 9, at 7:00 p.m. in the Burchfield Penney Art Center. All films in the Beyond Boundaries series are free and open to the public and are followed by a discussion panel.

Drawing its title from the 13th Amendment, which outlawed slavery, this documentary examines the history of race and the criminal justice system and racial inequality in the United States. New York Times film critic Manohla Dargis called the film "powerful, infuriating and at times overwhelming."

"Ava DuVernay’s documentary 13th will get your blood boiling and tear ducts leaking."

Watch the trailer.

Please call the Equity and Campus Diversity Office with questions: 878-6210.

The Privacy Paradox Project began on February 6. It’s not too late to sign up. The crux: You want to protect your private information, but you continue to give it away. The Privacy Paradox Project gives you a week of challenges and strategies to "take back your digital identity."

Fake Netflix App is actually ransomware. That’s right. Criminals know that you like Netflix. They know a lot of people would probably like to get Netflix without paying for it. An app is out that purports to let you gain free access to Netflix. When you download that app, it locks your files using malware to encrypt them. If you don’t pay the ransom (in Bitcoin), you don’t get your access back. Always watch what you install on your mobile devices and your IoT devices at home (e.g., Roku, Apple TV, Fire Stick).

Back up your files to the network and an external drive. Why? A suburban Dallas police department saw eight years' worth of digital evidence frozen after a ransomware attack. How does this happen? Phishing, a social engineering technique that uses e-mail to trick you into downloading file-encrypting malware (i.e., malicious software). Read your e-mail carefully. If it seems just off, not quite right, delete it. And watch what you install on your mobile devices and your IoT devices at home (e.g., Roku, Apple TV, Fire Stick).

Blackboard Collaborate is the campus-supported real-time web conferencing tool. A new version of the Collaborate Ultra building block within Blackboard has been available since December. Features of the update:

• Users have access to a course room and the ability to create and schedule new sessions for each class.
• Up to 250 participants can join in a session.
• Chat discussions are included in recordings.
• Users have the ability to allow downloads of recordings.

Upcoming training sessions can be found in our Workshop Registration System. If you have any questions, please see our Blackboard Collaborate page or contact Todd Benzin, educational technology specialist.

For more information on other services, please visit our Instructional Design and Training page.

The Institute for Community Health Promotion Collaborative Research Initiative (ICHP/CRI) is accepting graduate and undergraduate student applications for its Public School Mentoring Program for the spring 2017 semester. Applicants must be enrolled full time at Buffalo State College, have excellent written and oral communication skills, and have previous experience tutoring or working with groups of children in an educational setting. Undergraduate students must be at least second-semester sophomores with a minimum GPA of 2.5. All applicants must be available 12 hours a week during public school day hours to be considered for this position. Interested students should forward their current rsum to Gail Daniels, senior manager, ICHP/CRI.